Coal-chute



(No Model.)

J. SOULLY. GOAL OHUTE.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

JOHN SCULLY, OF SOUTH. AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

COAL-CHUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,052, dated June 5,1894.

To all] whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, JOHN ScULLY, of South Amboy, in the county ofMiddlesex and State ofNew Jersey, have invented a new and ImprovedCoal-Ohute, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My lnvention relates to improvements in coal chutes such as are used fordischarging coal from cars into vessels, coal bins, or otherreceptacles. This class of coal chutes usually employs a screen inconnection with the chute over which large quantities of coal arepassed, and the vchute is usually an open topped one, so that the coaltumbling and rumbling through 1n. large quantities is badly broken andlts market value lessened.

The construction, arrangement and. combis natlon of parts embodying theinvention are as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawlngs, forming a part ofthis specification, 1n WhlGh similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the complete apparatus, embodyingmy invention. F g. 2 s a detail plan view of the chute proper. Fig. 3 1sa cross section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and 4 is a detail frontelevation of the gate whlch controls the flow of coal to the screen.

The apparatus is supported on the usual framework 10, upon which thetracks 11 of the railroad run in the usual way, and between the trackrails is the customary opening 12 through which the coal from the carsmay be dumped into the pocket 13, which is of the usual kindand has aninclined bottom, as illus trated in Fig. 1, so that the coal will passread- 11y out of it when its controlling gate is opened. To the lowerend of the pocket 13 is hinged, as shown at 14, a screen 15, which is ofsubstantlally the usual kind and which is held at an inclination, sothat the coal will pass readily over it while the fine material dropsthrough. The pitch of'the screen is regulated in the usual way bya'cable 16, which passes over a guide pulley 17 and is connected to thewindlass shaft 18, this being journaled on the frame 19 in the customarymanner and having the gear wheel 20, which is geared to a pinion 21, thelatter being mounted on the frame 19 and the end gate 34 is open.

Application fiianec mb 14,1893. $eria1No.f1 93,646. oamoaai providedwith a crank 22, or equivalent means .of turning it.

At the lower end of the pocket or hopper 13 is a vertically or nearlyvertically movable gate 23, which controls the outflow of coal from thepocket, said gate being held. in suitable guides 23 and the gate isprovided with a bail 24 which is carried by a screw shaft 25, thisextending upward through the floor of the framework 10 and being held toturn in a nut 22 which is fixed to the frame 19 or equivalent support,and the screw shaft has at its upper end a hand wheel 27 or equivalentmeans of turning it. It will be seen that by turning the hand wheel, thescrew shaft may be raised or lowered and alike movement imparted to thegate 23, so that just the desired quantity of coal may be permitted toflow downward over the screen 15.

To the lower end of the fixed screen 15, as shown at 28, is a swingingchute 29, which is the most essential feature of my invention and whichhas parallel side pieces 30, a suitable bottom or back 31, and a topformed of a series of cross plates or boards 32 held between suitableguides 33, which are preferably of angle iron, guideways being thusformed which are open at the top so that the cross pieces or plates 32may be taken out and inserted at pleasure.

The chute 29 is open at the ends, except for the regulating gate at itslower end, and the coal may therefore pass freely through it when Thegate 34 is carried by a shaft 35, which is hung transversely on theupper side and lower end of the chute 29, and the shaft is provided witha crank arm 36 on its upper side, to which a cable 37 is secured, thisconnecting with the Windlass shaft 38 or an equivalent hoisting device,the shaft beingjournaled on the upper part of the framework 10 andprovided with a gear wheel 39 meshing with a pinion 40 which is turnedby a crank 41 and is provided with a pawl 41, to prevent it from turningbackward.

It will be seen that by winding up the cable 37, the shaft 35 isoscillated, and the gate 34 opened. The shaft 35 is provided with asecond arm 42 which extends at nearly right angles to the crank arm 36,as shown clearly in Fig. 1, and to the free end of the arm 42 is secureda cable 43, which extends upward over a gulde pulley 44 which issupported on the chute 29; and the upper end of the cable ex The pitchof the chute 29 may be controlled in any usual way, for instance, whendeliverlng coal into a vessel, it will be supported, at any desiredangle, by contact with a portion ofthe hatchway, or by blocks or rigidprops, or by ropes applied in any suitable manner. It may also besupported and adjusted by tackle arranged in connection with the framingin which the chute is suspended. From the above description it will beseen that an even and not too large quantity of coal may be made to runsteadily over the screen 15 and through the chute 29, and as the streamof coal in the chute is somewhat retarded the coal is kept in goodcondition and is delivered in this condition from the mouth of thechute.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the hopper, the slidable gate,and the screw shaft and nut for positively adjusting the gate, the fixedchute having a screen bottom and arranged below said gate, the lower orswinging chute hinged to the other and closed on four sides, an adjustable gate attached to the lower end of the lower chute, and means foropening and closing it, as shown and described.

2. The combination with a hopper of the swinging chute having open ends,and side pieces having lengthwise grooves, slidable and removable crossplates held in said grooves, and a gate attached to the lower end ofsaid chute and means for adjusting the gate to open or close it, asshown and described.

JOHN SCULLY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. MUIRHEID, A. A. CHASE.

